The Big Fight
by Celestriakle
Summary: Reala gets in a fight with his mate, Nii, and Deca tries to mend the broken relationship. Each chapter suggests a different 'ship.
1. Reala x Mica

(Nii is a clone of NiGHTS who chose to remain loyal. She is Reala's mate. Deca keeps as close of an eye on her fellow marens as she does the frontlines.

Nii: celestriakle. deviantart .com/art/Conformity-Bitches-185180252

Deca: celestriakle. deviantart .com/art/Deca-Mica-183587587

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Reala pushed aside the flap and entered the dank space of the tent. What possessed him to come here, especially with recent events considered, he couldn't quite say. He just knew that at the moment, he preferred her company to being alone. Seeing no one, he was left to explore nest of high wires, hoops, and rings on the stadium ground that stood stark and silent, shot through with what few rays of sunshine seeped in. He never had visited Deca here before... She kept a unique lair, surely.

"Hello, my prince."

He whirled around; Mica's grinning face was mere inches from him, but despite all of her bells, she hadn't alerted any of his senses. The mockery inherent in the nickname reminded him of his soured mood; immediately, the curiosity that had distracted him so well dispersed.

She floated down, as if to circle him, and asked, "So, what brings you to my humble abode~?"

"I..." Why did he come again? What was he hoping to gain? Sighing, he gave the only answer he had. "I wanted some company."

"Really? What about—Oh, that's right! You and your princess got in a fight. Are you doing alright?"

She already knew. Of course she knew. She _always_ knew. "Yes yes, I'm fine," he answered sharply.

He didn't particularly care to talk about it; she could see that, but still she asked, "Are you sure? I heard it was pretty bad. She called you a heartless monster, and you proved it by accusing her of being... what was the quote... 'nothing more than a carbon copy of a damned dirty traitor, destined for the same path and not worth the time you've given her thus far'."

He winced slightly; he knew Nii hadn't deserved the cruelty he had shown her. He regretted it, but before he could reply, Mica pressed on.

"You two have been getting into more fights recently, haven't you? Big fights that start over little things, am I right? It must be worrisome. Do you think it's a sign? Maybe you two aren't so fundamentally compatible."

He whirled and looked sharply towards the maren, who now floated just beneath him. Despite the content of her questions, the grin she wore stretched as wide as ever. His comment to Nii wasn't the only thing he was regretting.

"Wouldn't that be terrible, if your insult turned out to be true? You've had to change yourself so much; I can see that much and I haven't even been here all that long."

A growl rumbled through his chest. A warning. Dare she go on, the consequences would be... unfortunate.

"I bet it would be a crushing blow if she did betray, just like NiGHTS. You don't think she will, do you? That finally these fights become too much for her; that she sees past those good qualities to the man you truly are; that she decides to cut off all of her ties here and leave everything she's known behind. You don't think it's possible, do you?"

That final question was the last straw. Without warning, he grabbed Mica by the front of her tunic, spun her around to gain some acceleration, and slammed her into a nearby pole with a loud _crack! _Expecting backlash, one hand held her arms together and the other held Mica's face to the pole as the pieces of her mask fell to the ground and he snarled, "Never! She wouldn't do that! She wouldn't..." His voice fell silent and his grip loosened as he realized something: She wasn't fighting back. She put up no struggle whatsoever. Thoroughly perplexed, he slowly eased his pressure on her and released her. "Why... Why don't you fight back? I know you can."

Mica sighed. She stretched out her arms, then slowly turned around to face him. Only the portion of her mask that covered her right eye remained, and her grin was gone. She spat blood. "Why did you come here, Reala?"

"You knew you were pushing things too far."

"Yes, but you knew that of our entire family, of anyone you could go to, I would be the only one who would know what happened, and I would be the only one who would push the envelope."

"But you didn't have to."

"If I don't test your limits, then you'll never know them. You're a prince; I'm a caricature. Did I tell you anything you hadn't already thought of?"

Silence. She was right. She was terribly, depressingly, crushingly correct. His gaze fell.

"Don't feel like you need to say anything; I can see it in your face. I know I'm right because you get angry. That's why I don't fight back."

"I see..."

"You know as well as I that even nightmares have demons lurking within the shadows of their mind. It's my goal to bring as many of those fears, those doubts, those imperfections to light as I can." She floated over to him and put a hand on each of his cheeks, forcing him to look at her. "Go to her, Reala. Before your nightmares become a reality." She kissed his forehead and released him.

He hesitated, making a move to almost do something, but stopped. "...Thank you Mica." He flew down and out of the tent, but even when he was long gone, he could still feel those wistful eyes watching him go, and a strange sense of regret refused to leave his heart.

(To be continued.)


	2. Nii x Jade

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The water served as no comfort to Nii on this unsuitably fine day; she sat alone upon the dock. Tears struck the surface of the water from between her fingers as the fight replayed in her mind, Reala's vindictive tone echoing in her ears. With memories on loop, she could only wonder where and when things went awry... Without warning, she found herself in the grasp of another maren, and she gasped: The inside of thighs touched the outside of hers; the chest of the other pressed to her back; pair of arms wrapped around her waist and held her close. A chin touched her shoulder, and she found herself staring into the sympathetic expression of a maren hidden by a joyous mask. How she had snuck up on her with all those bells was a mystery. "J-Jade..."

"You looked so sad here, all by your lonesome..." she cooed, nuzzling Nii's shoulder.

Nii sighed. "R... Reala..." Her hand clenched to her chest as she choked up, a tear rolling down her cheek.

Jade finished, "You and Reala got in a fight." It was a statement, not a question, spoken as the two-faced maren caught the tear and wiped it from Nii's cheek.

Mutely, she nodded.

"He said some pretty vicious things, didn't he?"

Another nod. "I-I—" She squeaked as she was cut off by Jade, who put a hand over her mouth and shifted her arm up, pulling back slightly, silently urging Nii to lean against her. After a moment's hesitation, she relented. There was something oddly comforting about the confidence with which Jade moved, a certain stability that she desperately needed right now.

She removed her hand as she whispered, "Please, don't speak... You're still much too upset. You just need to take a deep breath and relax. Clear your mind. Close your eyes."

Nii obeyed, and she felt the arms around her move, readjusting to make both of them a little more comfortable. She never could quite say how long the two of them stayed like that until Jade spoke again. All she knew was that when the silence was finally broken, she was feeling much better.

"That man may be stubborn and short-fused, but you know he's hurting just as much as you are. You need to talk to him."

"I know." She narrowed her eyes; the hurt had faded, and now she just felt angry.

"No! Not in anger. His name was a response to yours, after all. You need to go calmly."

She blinked at Jade, studying her steadfast expression a moment, then sighed, her gaze dropping. "I... guess you're right." She grumbled a bit; she knew that choice of action was the wisest, but she still thought he deserved _something_. Feeling a hand run through her hair, she looked up.

"Trust me. Calm."

"I do; I know." Once more, she sighed, then smiled softly. "Thank you Jade. I feel much better." She embraced the maren that had been holding her for so long, but before she left, hesitated a moment. There was something in those swirling irises... Suddenly, blood flooded her cheeks, and she took off, away to make amends, and shouted back, "Thanks again!" _What just happened?_


	3. Reala x Nii x Deca

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Deca smiled as she watched the other two maren embrace above the lake.

_ They've made amends._

_ They have._

_ Do you think they'll remember our part in it?_

_ Maybe for a little while._

_ We certainly won't be welcomed in._

_ Certainly not._

_ But..._

_ We can hope._

_ Maybe someday._

_ Someday soon._

_ Hopefully._

Quietly, she took off from her place of observation to return home. She didn't see both of the maren watch her go, their attention attracted by the sound of bells.


End file.
